1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to the field of automated package handling.
2. Description of the Related Art
Package handling efficiency is increased by automating aspect of the process. Two processes that are time consuming are the determination of the package dimensions and/or determining dimensional weight. Package dimensions are important to optimize the loading process. In addition, knowing the remaining space is also useful.
The concept of dimensional weight has commonly been adopted by the transportation industry in most parts of the world as a standard way of determining charges for the shipment of packaged goods. Determining the dimensional weight of an object involves measuring the cubic space occupied by the object, or dimensioning. Dimensional weight is widely used because shipping costs calculated based on weight of the goods alone would render it unprofitable for carriers when the shipped goods have low density, e.g., small weight but occupying a large space. By using dimensional weight in calculating shipping costs, on the other hand, carriers can charge based on either the actual weight or the dimensional weight of the shipped goods, usually depending on whichever is greater. Moreover, by dimensioning objects, such as parcels, packages, and pallets, carriers, warehouses, shipping retailers, postal companies, or the like may optimally utilize their storage space and charge for the service accordingly.
Dimensional weight involves the volumetric weight of an object, and, more specifically, the cubic space the object occupies. Typically, the dimensional weight of an object is calculated as the multiplicative product of the object's length, width, and height divided by a constant. For example, in the United States, the dimensional weight of an object is calculated by domestic air carriers as (length×width×height)/166, with all dimensions in inches. A parcel weighing 25 pounds and having volumetric dimensions of 20×15×15 inches would have, using the above formula, a dimensional weight of 27.1 pounds. In this example, the shipping charge would be determined based on the dimensional weight of 27.1 pounds, because it is greater than the actual weight of 25 pounds.
To expedite the dimensioning process and to facilitate accurate dimensioning, companies have invested in various automatic dimensioning systems. One type of dimensioning system, such as a volume dimensioning application, performs volumetric dimensioning of objects by first capturing an image of the objects and then finding those objects in the image. For instance, an image capturing device may be utilized to capture an image of a number of parcels waiting to be dimensioned. Afterwards, a computing device may select one of the parcels from the parcels in the image to calculate the dimensional weight for. To do so, the computing device may need to estimate the boundary of the selected parcel to determine its approximate length, width, and height for the calculation. However, it can be very difficult at times to discern a particular object or objects in an image due to insufficient lighting or the presence of numerous objects in the same image. Although such a volume dimensioning application may be designed as a standalone, automatic application, issues such as those mentioned above may cause inaccuracy in the dimensioning process and ultimately result in delay and extra operational costs.